The present invention is directed to the design and construction of a recessed corner guard arrangement, for incorporation in a fire-rated wall, providing a flush mounted installation, while at the same time assuring the fire-rated capability of the wall structure.
In many institutional an other structures, where there is likely to be traffic in wheeled carts, wheelchairs, and the like, special corner guard installations are provided at external corners in hallways and the like to minimize the effects of impact from vehicles and the like moving through the hallways. In many cases, it is preferred that the corner guard installation be recessed in the wall structure, so that the outer surface of the external corner guard element is substantially flush with the primary wall surfaces adjacent to the corner guard installation.
When a wall is constructed according to a fire-rated standard, the rating is a function of the materials used in the construction of the wall. In order to provide a recessed corner guard installation, it is necessary to provide a suitable recess in the primary wall structure which, other things being equal, would reduce the fire-rating of the wall in the region of the recess.
Prior practice in the installation of recessed corner guard facilitates in fire-rated wall structures typically has involved the installation of a ceramic mat in the corner recess provided for the flush mounted corner guard. The ceramic mat has an intumescent characteristic which, in the presence of heat from a fire, expands to provide an insulating characteristic which can serve as an acceptable substitute for the thermal resistance of the wall material that otherwise would occupy the recessed area. The Rumsey U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,426 is an example of such a prior construction.
While the prior art installations may be acceptable in terms of fire-rating, there is a substantial penalty in terms of both the cost and difficulty of installation. The ceramic mats employed have a tendency to flake and crumble easily, and are thus a very difficult medium to work with at a typical construction site.
In accordance with the present invention, a fire-rated recessed corner guard installation is provided, which can be expeditiously installed with little or none of the cost penalty associated with the use of ceramic mats. To this end, one or more surfaces of the recess, or of the recessed corner guard installation, are coated with a layer of intumescent paint. The intumescent paint, which forms a highly insulative foam char in the presence of fire, performs largely the same function as the ceramic mat, in terms of restoring the fire-rated capability of a recessed area of a fire-rated wall, yet eliminates the significant cost and complications involved with the installation of ceramic matting, for example.
For a more complete understanding of the above and other features and advantages of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention and to the accompanying drawing.